Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

bellycheer en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˈbɛliˌt͡ʃɪə/ (UK)
  • /ˈbɛliˌt͡ʃɪɚ/ (US)

Etymology

Uncertain, either borrowed from French belle chère or derived from belly + cheer; either way, see cheer.

Meanings

  1. (obsolete, uncountable) Feasting.
    • He's now at supper with the scholars, where there's such belly-cheer as Wagner in his life ne'er saw the like: and, see where they come! belike the feast is ended. 1616, Christopher Marlowe, The Tragedy of Doctor Faustus:
    • and capable onely of loaves and belly-cheer! 1641, John Milton, Animadversions upon the Remonstrants Defence against Smectymnuus; republished in A Complete Collection of the Historical, Political, and Miscellaneous Works of John Milton, […], volume I, Amsterdam [actually London: s.n.], 1698, →OCLC, page 161: